ST. PAUL, Minn. — In their three-game trip, the Blackhawks scored only three goals.
When rookie sensation Connor Bedard wasn’t on the ice, they scored zero.
With Taylor Hall, Corey Perry, Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Beauvillier and Lukas Reichel either out or outright gone, the Hawks’ offense just doesn’t stack up to NHL standards right now. That was the case in a 4-1 loss Sunday against the Wild, just as it was in a 3-1 loss Saturday against the Jets and a 5-1 loss Thursday against the Red Wings — a trifecta of tedious, toothless defeats.
There’s not much they can do about it, and it barely dims the bright overall outlook of the rebuild, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a depressing reality.
“[The Wild] out-skated us and out-competed us in those tough areas, especially in front of the net and corners,” coach Luke Richardson said. “You’re not going to win many games when you get outworked and out-battled in those areas. I’m not saying our guys didn’t try, but we’ve got to find a desperation level [greater than] they showed us.”
Bedard alone cannot carry this team, and nothing proves that more than this crazy stat. He has set a Hawks rookie record by notching points in nine consecutive road games — but the Hawks are 2-7-0 in those games, including six consecutive losses.
The Hawks came out with some decent energy against Minnesota, making plays in the offensive zone and intercepting passes in the neutral zone, but a few defensive-zone breakdowns quickly buried them in a 3-0 hole. When facing that kind of deficit, they don’t have the firepower to launch a comeback.
“It’s frustrating when things like this happen and we keep losing games,” forward Taylor Raddysh said.
Crevier debuts
The Hawks might’ve iced one of the tallest defensive corps in NHL history with 6-8 rookie Louis Crevier joining 6-6 Alex Vlasic, 6-6 Jarred Tinordi, 6-4 Seth Jones and 6-4 Connor Murphy in the lineup. At 6-1, Kevin Korchinski looked short by comparison.
A seventh-round pick in 2020, Crevier never has been highly touted in Hawks prospect rankings, but his rate of development has sped up recently. He admitted he was surprised — but also thrilled — to get called up this weekend for the first time.
He added strength this summer, increasing his weight to 238 pounds, but that hasn’t even been the biggest change.
“[It’s my] confidence, mostly,” Crevier said. “Coming back [for my] second year [as a pro] for me was huge. The same thing happened to me in junior — I just got more confidence in my game. It helped me be more loose on the ice.”
He played 15:59 and had three shots, two hits and one block while mostly paired with Vlasic, with whom he has some familiarity from Rockford. Richardson said he thought Crevier played the same way he has in the AHL: “very steady.”
Power-play improvement
One bright spot for the Hawks was their power play, which looked competent for the first time in weeks.
On their first opportunity in the first period, they did everything but score, getting eight scoring chances (including four high-danger). They finally broke through in the third period when Tyler Johnson connected with Raddysh in the crease.
Raddysh’s effective work in the bumper role and around the net created rebounds and second chances, making the entire operation more functional. Richardson said he planned to show the team some video clips of what he did.
